SCMA NEWS

SCMA Awards Dinner Dec. 2: A double celebration

Mark your calendar and join us in celebration of the outstanding
contributions of four physicians and a peer review committee, in conjunction
with the 50th anniversary of the Holiday Greeting Card, a fundraiser for the
SCMA/SCMAA
Health Careers Scholarship Program.

The medical community is invited to the Awards Dinner, which runs from 6 to 9
p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at Vintner's Inn, 4350 Barnes Rd. in
Santa Rosa. The evening begins with a social hour at 6 p.m., followed by dinner
and the awards presentations.

Meetings with Congressional Representatives Huffman & Thompson

A series of meetings in August and September with SCMA, MMS and MLCMS
leadership were planned to urge our representative to support Meaningful Use
Reform and Relief from Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) costly and
abusive practices.
Click here to learn about legislation to reform meaningful use.
Click here to learn more about The Fair Medical Audits Act of 2015.

What is the most pressing issue in your medical practice?

Physicians and Office Managers, tell us what issue you are most concerned
about right now (e.g. EHRs, reimbursements, Medi-Cal payments, patient
vaccinations, paying staff, paperwork). Reply to
scma@scma.org with your issue and a chance to win a $20 Starbucks gift card.
Responses will be shared in the October News Briefs.

SCMA received the following pressing concerns from August News Briefs:

Unfair Contracting: 50%

Staffing Issues: 17%

EMR/EHR: 33%

Watch your mail for confidential staff wage and benefits survey

To provide you with information to help you manage your practice, SCMA will
conduct its seventh survey of medical staff wages and benefits in Sonoma County.
The survey will be sent out this month. Survey results will be available only to
those participating in the survey.

SCMA has moved its office

SCMA moved its office to the east side of town in Bennett Valley on Aug. 15.
The new address is 2312 Bethards Dr. #6, Santa Rosa, CA 95405.
Staff e-mail addresses remain the same, but now all staff can be contacted at
525-4375. The fax number remains the same at 525-4328.

LOCAL NEWS

Dr. Anton M. Kushnaryov, MD, an otolaryngologist
specializing in head and neck surgery, has recently joined Northern California
Medical Associates' elite team of physicians at Santa Rosa Head and Neck Surgery
group. Dr. Kushnaryov completed his residency in otolaryngology at the
University of California, San Diego, where he also completed his research
fellowship and internship in general surgery. He received his Doctor of Medicine
at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN.

TOP CMA STORIES

Top CMA issues & news highlights

Six tobacco bills in Special Session
CMA-sponsored
tobacco-related bills that would boost regulations on e-cigarettes, increase the
tobacco purchasing age to 21, and allow local jurisdictions to tax tobacco are
moving forward in the Legislature's special health session.
Click here for more information.

Anti-vaccination opponents planning to recall the only physician in
the California Legislature
With our support, Dr. Richard Pan won
his election to the State Senate promising to work to keep Californians safe and
healthy, and he did just that authoring SB277 to abolish non-medical exemptions
to school vaccinations. TIME magazine called Dr. Richard Pan a hero for his
leadership in fighting vaccine-preventable diseases. Now, anti-vaccination
supporters are gathering signatures to recall him. Please go to
www.KeepDrPan.com and
click on "Stand with Dr. Pan" to add your name to the list of people who oppose
the anti-vaccination group attempt to recall him.

CMA releases 2015 annotated Model Medical Staff Bylaws
These bylaws are the definitive guide for medical staffs, providing details on
professional and legal structures to support effective medical staff operations
and self-governance. The model bylaws provide background information on critical
provisions, including explanations of relevant state and federal laws, hospital
accreditation standards, and other explanatory information. The bylaws are
available free to any medical staff with an active membership in CMA's Organized
Medical Staff Section (OMSS). If your medical staff is not already an OMSS
member, you can join by completing and submitting the OMSS membership
application at
www.cmanet.org/omss. The model bylaws are also available to non-OMSS members
for a fee. For more information, visit
CMA's online resource library.

PRACTICE RESOURCES

Payor profiles, end-of-life, ICD-10

Updated payor profiles now available
CMA's Center for
Economic Services has published updated profiles on each of the major payors in
California including Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, CIGNA,
Health Net, United Healthcare, Medicare/Noridian and Medi-Cal. Each profile
includes key information on health plan market penetration, a description of the
plan's dispute resolution process and the name and contact numbers for medical
directors, provider relations and other key contacts. Don't waste your time
searching the internet for this information: members can download
CMA's Payor Profiles free of charge.

Patient resources on end-of-life decisions now available online
CMA has developed a number of resources to help providers, patients
and loved ones with making these important end-of-life decisions.
Click here for more information.

Medi-Cal providers: Are you ready for ICD-10?
To
help physicians prepare for the ICD-10 transition, the California Medical
Association (CMA) has published:

CMA Practice Resources (CPR) is a free monthly
e-bulletin from the California Medical Association's practice management
experts. It focuses on critical payor and health care industry changes and how
they directly impact the business of a physician practice. Each issue includes
tips on reimbursement and contracting-related issues, along with information on
the latest practice management news.
View the current issue.

SCMA members get free classifieds!
SCMA members can
place free classified ads in News Briefs or Sonoma Medicine. Cost for nonmember
physicians and the general public is $1 per word. To place a classified ad,
contact Susan Gumucio at
susan@scma.org or 707-525-0102.

ABOUT SCMA

The Sonoma County Medical Association, a 501(c)(6) nonprofit association,
supports local physicians and their efforts to enhance the health of the
community. Founded in 1858, SCMA is affiliated with the California Medical
Association and the American Medical Association.